


Yeah, I Read

by Violent_Bulldog



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anne Boleyn has ADHD, Anne Boleyn is also kinda O.D.D, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Beheaded Cousins, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fuck Henry, He just appears every now and then, Henry isn't a main character, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, K. Howard is a history buff, Katherine Howard is also kinda O.D.D, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Other, Past Child Abuse, That's what puberty in an orphanage gets you i guess, They're NOT reincarnated for this, This will be happy I swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23395966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Violent_Bulldog/pseuds/Violent_Bulldog
Summary: The group of six girls are just trying to get further education at Greenwich College...
Relationships: Anne Boleyn & Anne of Cleves, Anne Boleyn & Henry VIII of England, Anne Boleyn & Katherine Howard, Anne Boleyn/Catherine Parr, Anne of Cleves & Katherine Howard, Henry VIII of England/Jane Seymour
Comments: 61
Kudos: 186





	1. Introduction

This is going to be a sort of facts page, just so we can get right into the story without the cringe introductions to each character... you know what I mean?

** _Catherine of Aragon (Catherine Aragon):_ **

Nicknames: Catalina, Aragon, Catherine

Age: 19

Classes: Politics, Religious Studies/Religious Education, Literature

Other Activities: Co-Leader of the school's newspaper/online newspaper, Student Council member

Style: Business casual. Long skirts and button-up shirts, trouser suits, occasionally just jeans and a nice shirt

Facts: Fluent in Spanish

_Relationships:_

Anne Boleyn: Not exactly the closest of friends and they bicker, but are in the same friend-group and will be there for one another if needed

Jane Seymour: The "Mums" of the friend-group, often the only responsible ones. Bond over taking care of the others, however, Catherine doesn't like the fact that Jane is dating Henry

Anna Cleves: Not very close, but have similar views on politics, which can often lead to lengthy conversations about what the government is doing with their country (Fuck Brexit)

Katherine Howard: Treats her like her daughter, which is never objected to. Tries to stop her from doing dumb things with Anne

Catherine Parr: Grew up as neighbours, therefore, are very close. They go to one another when they need to rant 

Henry Tudor: She doesn't care about him, he creeps her out slightly

**_ Anne Boleyn: _ **

Nicknames: Bo, Annie, Boleyn, Bo-Loser (only by Catherine Aragon), Gremlin

Age: 18 (Her birthday is in December, making her the second-youngest amount the group, however, she's still in the same year as the others)

Classes: Music, Creative Writing, Literature

Other Activities: Lone Striker of the Girl's Football team

Style: Literally anything. Baggy hoodies and tracksuit bottoms (sweatpants), jeans and flannel shirts, short skirts and semi-seethrough shirts, she'll wear anything and look amazing while doing so

Facts: Fluent in French

Lived in France until she was 7, then moved to England where her family moved in with Katherine's family

Her parents, along with Katherine's parents, died in a car accident when she was 14, resulting in being put in an orphanage until she was 17 and they kicked her out and became Katherine's legal guardian 

_Relationships:_

Jane Seymour: Is treated like her daughter, which is sometimes objected to, though not often. Refuses to be with her when she's with Henry

Anna Cleves: Double Trouble. They cause chaos no matter what. Consider each other as best friends. Teammates on the girl's football team

Katherine Howard: Her baby cousin, who's only a month younger than her. Practically siblings and often refer to each other as sisters. Will stab a man for her. Chaotic duo, always pulling pranks with the help of Anna. Teammates on the girl's football team

Catherine Parr: Her amazing, wonderful, creative, loving girlfriend (her words, not mine). Keep each other sane, Anne not letting Catherine get obsessed over her work and losing sleep and Catherine not letting Anne live solely off of junk food and energy drinks

Henry Tudor: She hates him. Can't be around him, even though it makes Jane upset

**_ Jane Seymour: _ **

Nicknames: Mum, Jan, Janie 

Age: 19

Classes: Hospitality (Mainly cookery), Biology, Childcare

Other Activities: Student Council member

Style: Formal casual. Jumpers and jeans mainly, often wears dresses when going out with the other girls or Henry

Facts: Learning Spanish slowly

_Relationships:_

Anna Cleves: Don't talk much, but would always be there for one another if needed

Katherine Howard: They always know how to cheer one another up. Jane does whatever she can to protect the youngest girl

Catherine Parr: Catherine often goes to Jane for relationship advice and Jane is more than happy to help. An underrated mother/daughter duo

Henry Tudor: She's in love with him and she believes that he's in love with her...

**_ Anna of Cleves (Anna Cleves): _ **

Nicknames: Cleves, Clover, A-Dog (only by Anne when she's trying to be annoying)

Age: 19

Classes: Art, Literature, Sports

Other Activities: Defender of the Girl's Football team

Style: Anything. Similar to Anne, she'll wear whatever and still look awesome while doing so

Facts: Fluent in German

_Relationships:_

Katherine Howard: Members of the chaotic trio and the girl's football team. Often look out for one another

Catherine Parr: Teases her relentlessly about her relationship with Anne. Secretly loves to see them both so happy

Henry Tudor: He called her ugly once when he was drunk. She broke his nose. Is one of two people who knows about what he tried to do to Anne, resulting in her despising him

**_ Katherine Howard: _ **

Nicknames: Kitty, Kit, Kat, Kate/Katie/Kitkat (only by Anne), Howard

Age: 18 (Her birthday is in January, the year after the other girls, making her the youngest, however, she's still in the same year as the others)

Classes: Music, Sports, History

Other Activities: Midfielder of the Girl's Football team, Library assistant

Style: Casual. Hoodies and jeans (Probably a stolen hoodie from Anne) 

Facts: Almost fluent in French 

Only learnt French because her cousin barley knew English when they first lived together, resulting in them both learning the other's main language

Her parents, along with Anne's parents, died in a car accident when she was 13, resulting in being put in an orphanage until she was 16 and had Anne become her legal guardian 

_Relationships:_

Catherine Parr: Sees her as an older sister and often joins in when Anna teases her about her relationship with Anne. Is the person to escort her back to her room when she stays in the library past closing time 

Henry Tudor: Is the other person to know about what he tried to do to Anne, was actually the person who interrupted them up. She hates him, and Katherine doesn't like to use the word hate

**_ Catherine Parr: _ **

Nicknames: Cathy, Cath

Age: 19

Classes: Creative Writing, Literature, History

Other Activities: Co-Leader of the school's newspaper/online newspaper

Style: Casual. Hoodies and tracksuit bottoms, occasionally jeans and flannel shirts

Facts: Fluent in many languages (French, Italian, Latin), Semi-fluent in Spanish

_Relationships:_

Henry Tudor: She doesn't like the way his eyes wander to other girls when he's with Jane. Especially doesn't like the way he looks at Anne

**_ Henry Tudor: _ **

Nicknames: Dickhead/Asshole/Motherfucker/Twat/Any other form of insulting name (by Anne, Anna and Katherine)

Age: 21

Job: Bartender

Facts: He almost cheated on Jane with Anne while they were both drunk, although Anne didn't consent. Were interrupted before anything could escalate, fortunately, yet refuses to tell Jane what happened


	2. Mcdonald's Play Area

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They should have known better than to take The Chaotic Trio™ to a Mcdonald's with a play area

Since classes finished early on Fridays and none of the girls had any plans for the rest of their day, Cathy suggested that they should all go to Mcdonald's for dinner. It was a simple enough suggestion and it's not like it was a fancy night out or anything, but they all agreed to go.

Jane would pick them all up in her minivan just after half six, so they all had to be ready by then. That was mainly a comment towards Anne and Katherine, who left everything to the last minute. But, tonight, they were the first two ready, even before Jane herself.

The duo was in Anne's dorm room, planning. Anna was on facetime with them as she finished off her makeup, highly enticed in the plan. 

"But what if we get caught?" Katherine's voice was like static due to the poor chat quality, but Anna understood her.

"Then we run?" Anne replied like it was obvious. Anna looked at her phone and saw Kat roll her eyes, pacing around the room. 

"You expect us to be able to run out of the play area, which has one entrance and exit, and _not_ get caught?" Anne sighed at her cousin, ignoring the sarcasm in her comment. Anna had to suppress her laughter as she finished applying her eyeshadow. The deep maroon really made her dark eyes look smokey. Hot.

"Don't underestimate me Kitkat. I'm sneaky like a spider" Katherine just laughed and Anna had to slap her hand over her mouth before she joined in.

"You have the grace of that spider in the third Harry Potter film" Kat said through her giggles, causing Anne to furrow her eyebrows in confusion.

"The tapdancing one babes. The one that had absolutely no grace whatsoever and kept falling over" Anna spoke up, laughing when Anne flinched at her voice. It took her a moment to realise that they were, in fact, insulting her.

"You both suck" She muttered, rolling her eyes, which only made the duo laugh more. Anne scowled before checking her phone, eyes widening.

"Fuck, we're gonna be late if we don't leave now. Anna, are you bloody ready yet? We've been waiting for you" She said. Anna gave a thumbs up before ending the call, grabbing her things and making her way out of her room.

"I don't get how the three people on the football team can have such little time awareness" Catalina muttered, leaning against Jane's van. Cathy just shrugged from her seat on a bench before returning to scroll through Instagram. Jane seemed mainly unbothered, checking her hair again in the wing mirror. The trio flinched when they heard the front doors to the dorms slam open and saw the other trio rushing towards them. 

"It's six twenty-eight. We're completely on time" Anne spluttered, breathing heavily and holding her phone out for the others to see. Sure enough, it was before their deadline.

"Nice wallpaper, idiot" Catalina rolled her eyes before climbing into the passenger's seat. Anne spun her phone around to face her, a lopsided grin forming on her face. It was a photo of the six of them at Jane's birthday dinner where all of them were wearing cheap party hats. Catalina was glaring at the camera, Anne was sticking her tongue out, Jane was smiling nicely as a normal person would, Anna was giving the 'Rock On' sign, Kat had her eyes crossed and her tongue sticking out and Cathy just had an amused smile on her face. All in all, a great photo.

Jane shook her head lightly at the duo's banter, before climbing into the driver's seat. Anna and Kat went into the middle section and Cathy and Anne climbed into the back. Anne immediately rested her head on Cathy's shoulder, looking up at the girl with admiration.

"Hi" She said softly, ignoring the others who were now arguing over what music to play. Cathy looked at Anne and couldn't help but to smile.

"Hey" She replied, just as softly before gently booping the younger girl's nose. Anne imminently scrunched up her nose before glaring at Cathy, who just laughed silently at the reaction. Anne just pouted.

"Seatbelts!" Jane called from the front, having finally settled on letting Anna have control of the music which resulted in TikTok songs being played. They all buckled up before Jane started driving. Anna and Kat were immediately singing along to the songs, Catalina was staring out of the window with a slightly bemused look on her face and Anne and Cathy were just cuddling in the back.

By the time they got to Mcdonald's, Jane was regretting letting Anna have music control. Now she had three different songs stuck in her head at once and she only knew about two lines of lyrics from each. The group clambered into a booth after ordering their food. Anne couldn't help but grin at the sight of the play area, gently nudging Kat's shoulder and pointing to it. Kat shook her head slightly, silently telling her to wait until they'd eaten. Anne huffed quietly, but stayed seated. 

She stared out the window at the night sky, enjoying the faint sight of the moon and stars behind the clouds. She liked the way the moon made the clouds look, almost like they were a completely different thing than they were during the day. It was one of the things she loved about the late months of the year, it got dark earlier and the sky looked magical. It was one of the few things that actually relaxed her. It even made her feel slightly more connected to her parents, aunt and uncle. 

Cathy gently nudged Anne's knee as their food arrived, snapping the younger girl out of her daydream. She gave a content sigh before joining in with the others and their conversations while eating her food.

"See, that's where you're wrong! Food like this, although it is delicious, it's extremely unhealthy for you!" Jane exclaimed, pointing at Kat with one of her fries.

"Yeah, well, I don't care. I eat junk food or I don't eat, which would you prefer?" Kat shrugged, smirking when Jane gave a frustrated sigh. Anne snickered at their debate while eating her own fries. Neither her, not Kat, had very much education on cooking. They mainly winged it and often failed, resulting in them just eating takeaway or Pot Noodles most nights. The amount of training that they did for football, however, made sure that they both stayed in great shape. 

"You know, you could always learn how to cook" Catalina spoke up, ignoring the immediate glares she was given by the youngest girl. Anne covered her mouth as she laughed at the idea of Kat learning how to cook.

"Hey, shut up. You can't cook for shit either!" Kat exclaimed, her glare shifting from Catalina to Anne.

"I can so! Better than you!" She replied, glaring right back. Kat pouted at her.

"Nu-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Oh my god" Catalina grumbled, throwing a chip at each girl. They both just ate the chips before continuing with their nonsense. Catalina just scowled at them, earning a supportive hand on her shoulder from Jane.

Jane didn't like how Anne kept staring at the play area throughout their meal once she had, finally, stopped bickering with Kat. She didn't trust the younger girl in the slightest. She tried to keep an eye on her after they'd all finished eating, just in case she tried something. It was when she had looked down at her phone to check the time that she heard the clambering from across the table. Anne, Kat and Anna had managed to sprint over to the play area and hide, although they weren't very hidden because everyone could still hear them clearly. Jane immediately heard quiet cursing, which she assumed was Anne hitting her head off of the low roof.

"This is when we get kicked out of Mcdonald's" Cathy murmured, looking over to the play area. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw Anna standing at the highest point, acting like she was the queen of the play area. She could hear the trio's contagious laughter, only for it to falter when the staff came to the entrance point. Catalina sighed before standing and walking over, closely followed by Jane and Cathy, to see what was going to happen to their friends.

"Please, just get out of the play area..." An employee sighed as another climbed into the structure to try and grab the trio. Cathy had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

"We'll be forced to ban you if you don't leave" The one outside the area said, sighing. He looked the same age as the girls and just as tired. The one inside yelped as he dragged Kat out, despite her attempts to get out of his grip. He placed her down outside, beside Cathy's feet, as Kat just pouted, before climbing back in for the other two. 

"You have eight seconds to get out before we have to ban you from coming back here" He yelled to the duo, kicking the plastic balls out of his path. Just then, the two morons decided to go down the slide, screaming and laughing, before bursting out of the play entrance and sprinting out of the restaurant. Kat jumped up and was about to follow them when Jane grabbed her arm and shook her head. Kat just pouted again. 

"Please... if you come back, don't bring them. Or, if you do, don't let them near the play stuff" The employee climbed out of the area, shaking his head while his counterpart spoke to the remaining four. Jane just nodded before going back to their table and grabbing their things, leading the other three out of the restaurant.

Anne was grinning as she spun around under the streetlight, enjoying the nipping cold of the winter weather. It wasn't quite cold enough for snow, but it was cold enough that it was cooling her down after jumping around like an idiot. Anna was sitting on a nearby bench, watching the younger girl in wonder.

"It was almost a successful mission. We just lost one member" She mused, chuckling when Anne nearly fell over from getting dizzy. Anne just laughed again.

"Better than all three of us getting snatched" She replied, jumping around on the curb. Both of their heads snapped to the restaurant's doors when they heard them bang open. And there was a fairly pissed off Jane and Catalina, a betrayed Kat and an amused Cathy.

"Uh-ohhh" Anne said in a sing-song voice, giggling again. The four made their way over to the duo.

"You're both idiots" Catalina yelled to them, only making the duo laugh. She shook her head, clearly unamused.

"You know how stressed those workers are now? God, they go through enough in their day without you lot acting like children" Jane argued. Anna just smiled and pointed to the restaurant, where they could see the workers laughing heavily.

"Actually, we've just made their night" She replied. Jane and Catalina shared a look before sighing, knowing that they wouldn't win this battle. 

"Let's just go home" Jane mumbled, not noticing the way Anne and Kat both winced slightly. They never really considered anywhere home anymore.

The ride back home was similar to the ride there. Anna was playing dumb music but at a lower volume now, Kat was nearly asleep as she leant against the window, Anne had her eyes closed as she rested her head on Cathy's shoulder, but she wasn't asleep yet and Catalina was watching the other cars pass by. It was surprisingly calm after what had just happened. 


	3. Sweet...Nineteenth?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been too long since Anne had a nice birthday

Anne never made a big deal about her birthday. After all, she'd spent three years in an orphanage where, if you said it was your birthday, you went to bed without any dinner because now you'd drawn attention to yourself and another year barely able to afford food for her and Kat to eat, let along celebrate over a day. So, yeah. Birthday's were never really her thing. 

After the first year in the orphanage, Anne and Kat would only say to one another about their birthday. They always tried their best to get a form of gift for the other, Kat would picking flowers and draw something for Anne and Anne would write a song for Kat for when she had nightmares. Subtle things, things that wouldn't draw attention to themselves. 

Anne was woken up much earlier than she would like for a Wednesday, especially since her only class had been cancelled due to the lecturer being snowed in. She slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the winter sun seeping in from the window, and saw Kat, grinning beside her. She'd barely heard her younger cousin come into her room last night and snuggle up to her. Kat was the only other person Anne gave her key too since the college only had individual dorms and Kat struggled to sleep without someone with her or after she had a nightmare. It was agreed early on that she could come to Anne's room whenever she needed, as long as she was quiet and didn't disrupt anyone else. 

Anne gently pushed Kat away, pushing her hand against her face. Kat squealed, moving away quickly before pouting.

"You're no fun" She grumbled, poking Anne in the ribs. Anne grumbled into her pillow, smacking Kat's hand away.

"Come on, get up. You're old now and we have to celebrate it" The young girl moved out of the way of her cousin's arm, flailing to hit her. 

"I am not old. You're barely younger than me. Catalina is old" Anne spoke into her pillow, making Kat laugh. 

"It's a good thing she's not here, or you'd be decked" She mused before grabbing the duvet and yanking it away. Anne immediately whined at the lack of warmth, curling into a ball. Kat sighed as she laughed at her cousin's antics. 

"Oh my god, get up. We have things to be doing today. Move, you twit" Kat grumbled, poking Anne in the ribs again. The slightly older girl sat up slowly, glaring at her cousin.

"Tu es de la merde" She muttered, shoving Kat's shoulder as she stood up before stretching and cracking her back. Kat winced at the sound.

"Doesn't that hurt?" She chose to ignore the french insult and focus on what sounded like a chiropractor's office. Anne just shrugged before going into the bathroom to get ready. That was the best thing about the college dorms. They all had their own bathrooms and kitchen space, although the kitchen was part of the living room and bedroom area. Kat just rolled her eyes before slouching down in a chair and playing a game on her phone. 

Anne came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, ready for a casual day. Her hair was in its usual space buns and she was wearing a pair of jeans and a flannel that she'd stolen from Cathy. It was soft and she couldn't resist. Kat looked up and rolled her eyes, immediately recognising the flannel due to the blue shades through it. Anne just had a bashful smile on her face.

"You'll learn to steal your own girlfriend's clothes and not mine one day, sweet child" She hummed as Kat stood from her chair, shaking her head but with a smile on her face. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Birthday time. Come on, adventure!" Kat exclaimed, throwing the room door open. Anne just laughed, following her cousin out and locking the door behind her. Kat jumped down most of the stairs, her hyper self already making Anne tired again. Kat decided that their first stop would be Starbucks so that Anne could "Liven the fuck up" 

Kat insisted on paying for Anne's drink, despite Anne's protests. They stood outside Starbucks, drinks in hand and, despite the icy weather, they'd both gotten Frappuccinos. They sipped their drinks, Anne becoming more alive and Kat becoming even more hyper. Anne laughed when Kat got a dollop of whipped cream on her nose, making the younger girl's cheeks flush as she wiped it off swiftly, glaring at her cousin.

"So, what now then?" Anne asked as they slowly wandered down the street.

"Well... I'm not sure. I'm here to entertain you until the other's get out of class, so we can kinda do whatever" Kat answered, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to think of something to do. She barely noticed the way a grin formed on Anne's face.

"Oh, I've got a couple ideas. You up for anything babes?" She asked, her eyes gleaming with mischief. Kat nodded, eager to know what the hell she had just signed up for.

And that's how they ended up back in Anne's dorm, Anne with her septum, right ear's conch and both ear lobes pierced, Kat with both her ear lobes pierced and an industrial piercing in her right and two boxes of hair dye. Kat had bright pink, because of course, and Anne had green, because why not.

They both had changed into old, worn t-shirts, so they wouldn't stain the outfits that they actually liked. They planned to do most of their hair, letting it fade in just below their ears. Anne decided to go first, just in case Kat wanted to back out.

After many curse words as dye kept getting into Anne's mouth because Kat had very little control of the showerhead as she helped wash the dye out, Anne looked in the mirror and grinned. It looked exactly as she planned. Awesome. Kat grinned too, proud that she'd helped and eager to dye her own hair.

It was early evening when there was a knock on the dorm door. Anne went to open it, curious to see her friend's reactions to the day's events. Sure enough, there were the other four. Catalina's eyes went wide, Jane's jaw dropped, Anna didn't even look phased and Cathy just grinned. 

"Oh my god" Jane whispered, eyes switching between the piercings to the bright hair. Anne smirked, basking in the reactions of the mums of the group. She couldn't wait to see their reaction when they saw Kat.

"Looks hot, Bo" Anna mused before entering the girl's dorm, an Asda bag full of glass bottles and what sounded like cans swinging by her side. Anne let the other's enter her room, still thoroughly entertained by the eldest's reactions. Catalina stayed silent, staring intently at the younger girl. 

"Oh my god!" Jane yelped once she'd spotted Kat. Kat giggled, smiling at the others as she sat on the edge of Anne's bed. Jane was by her side immediately, gently tugging at her ears, making the youngest girl squirm away. 

"Jane, Jane, stop it" She whined, wriggling away from the older woman. Anne and Anna just watched while laughing.

"I can't believe you. Either of you, oh my god" Jane mumbled, letting go of Kat's ears. Kat pouted at her, gently rubbing where she'd been holding. 

"Come on Jane, they both look fit as hell. Let them vibe" Anna spoke from the couch where she was already surfing through Netflix to find some films for them to watch, her bag of whatever beside her. Jane huffed softly, shaking her head lightly at the duo.

"I don't trust either of you to keep them clean. Make sure to disinfect them because I'm not gonna be the one to take you to A&E when they become infected" She said before taking a seat beside Anna. Everyone knew that Jane would definitely be the one to take them to A&E if the piercings did become infected because she was the only responsible driver. Catalina had her licence but never felt comfortable driving with other people, Anne had a drivers licence and a motorbike licence, but only owned a motorbike, that she bought with part of her inheritance that she got when she turned eighteen, that nobody else would get on with her, Anna just used taxis or Ubers, Kat was debating if she should start getting lessons and Cathy was in the process of getting lessons. Jane was practically the only option. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's movie time bitches" Anne practically jumped into her beanbag chair. Anna passed her one of the cans from her bag, which was, unsurprisingly, alcohol. 

"Since I am, as always, the drinks provider, we have Strongbow: both apple cider and dark fruits, WKD Blue, Smirnoff Ice and Kopparberg: alcoholic and non-alcoholic for Jane. And also, just in case, there's a 20 pack of Budweiser in my room" She said, handing out the drinks. When they were all settled, Anna, Jane and Catalina on the couch, Anne and Cathy on the beanbag (which was mainly just Anne on the beanbag and Cathy on her lap), and Kat on the floor, leaning against the couch, Anna played the first film, which was, of course, Beetlejuice. It was Anne's favourite. How could it not be? A green demon for the green gremlin. 

They were half-way through the second film, Lady and the Tramp, when Cathy excused herself to the bathroom. The others ignored the smirk on her lips until Anne followed behind her a moment later, all too eager. The second the bathroom door closed, Anna and Kat burst into laughter as Catalina and Jane exchanged a look. Catalina sighed deeply, not wanting to imagine what her childhood best friend was doing.

"Anyways... who wants to order pizza from Dominos?" Jane asked quickly as the other two quietened down.

"They know what we're doing" Cathy mumbled against Anne's lips. The taller girl just shrugged slightly, pulling Cathy closer by the hips and looping her fingers through her belt loops.

"Yeah? Good for them" Anne whispered back before smashing her lips back onto Cathy's.

The other girls continued to watch the film, turning the volume up, just in case. They were eating their pizza's, leaving one on the kitchen unit for the duo for when they made their awkward return. In the meantime, they drank and talked about the film, with Anna often calling parts of it out on being stupid and Kat punching her in the shin so she'd be quiet. 

Just as the film ended, the bathroom door unlocked and the couple creeped out of the room. Anne was still fixing her flannel as Cathy avoided eye-contact with anyone else.

"Have fun?" Anna asked, taking a swig of her drink and Kat choked on her own before bursting into laughter. Cathy felt her face flush as she slightly hid behind Anne, who was smirking.

"More fun than you've had in a while. Cheers for the pizza though, babes" She said, grabbing the pizza and throwing herself down on the beanbag again. Cathy sat next to her, on the floor this time, but leaning against the beanbag. Anna just glared at Anne, shaking her head.

"I'm never going in that bathroom again" Catalina muttered before downing the rest of her drink.

It was just shortly before midnight when they decided to call it a night. They all had classes the next day, and three of them had football practice. Anne and Kat said goodnight to everyone and were left alone. Anne sighed as she began to clean up the pizza boxes and empty alcohol containers. 

"Oh crap! Uh, I'll be back in a sec, I need to grab something from my room" Kat said quickly, hurrying out of the room. Anne paused for a second before continuing with her clean up mission.

Suddenly, the room went dark. Anne flinched slightly, the only light being the pale moonlight from the window. She turned around and saw Kat, holding what seemed like a cupcake with a candle on top, the flame flickering softly. As Kat began singing 'Happy Birthday', Anne couldn't help but tear up. This was the first proper birthday she's had in five years, and it had been even more amazing than she could have thought of.

Kat handed her the flaming cupcake, which she realised had green icing, before telling her to make a wish. She closed her eyes and blew the candle out, then watched the smoke fade into the air. Kat cheered quietly, not wanting to disrupt any other students, gently taking the candle back out of the cake. Anne scooped some of the icing onto her finger and booped it onto Kat's nose. The younger girl squealed softly, scrunching up her face and wiping the icing onto her hand. She pouted at her cousin, who grinned back at her.

"Well, now I don't wanna give you your present" She huffed, licking the icing from her hand.

"You got me a present? And it wasn't just how today was?" Anne whispered, tears slowly forming in her eyes. Kat smiled softly at her, gently taking the cupcake and sitting it down before taking the box from the place she'd sat it while entering the room and handing it to Anne.

"Course I got you a present. It's the first time that I actually can" The young girl whispered back. Anne swallowed a sob before opening the box. Inside was a black motorbike helmet with green flames on the sides. Tears slowly slipped down her face as she admired it.

"Because I knew you didn't have one and I want you to be safe. You're... You're my only family. Can't risk losing you too" Kat wiped the tears from her eyes quickly, sniffling softly. Anne placed the helmet down and wrapped her cousin in a tight hug, which was immediately reciprocated. The two stood in the tight embrace, letting their tears fall.

"I love you, Kitkat. I promise, I'm never leaving you" Anne said softly, pulling away from the hug and holding Kat's face in her hands. Kat sniffled again, nodding slightly.

"I love you too. Happy Birthday, Annie"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tu es de la merde - You're shit


	4. Celebrate...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas and New Years was meant to be a happy time, and once upon a time, it was

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the beginning, I've used Scottish school logic because English schools confuse the crap out of me  
> I also think I've messed up the ages... so they all got kept behind a year now

Kat had always loved winter growing up. There was snow and Christmas and her birthday and all kinds of fun things to do. And, as much as she hated to admit it sometimes, she loved Christmas and New Years more than Halloween. Halloween was a time for pranks and fun with her cousin, but Christmas was a time for her to be happy with her whole family. 

She'd loved the season. Until the only adults in her family had gotten into a car crash on New Years morning and died, leaving her and her cousin all alone. They had no other family, no grandparents, no other uncles and aunts, no one. They spent their New Years day at the police station before being moved into a big, grey, stone building and being told that they had to live there. 

The staff were never nice to the duo. Especially not to Anne whenever she spoke French out of sheer nervousness. Kat would rather forget the way they were both screamed at or hit or just plain abused while there. And then, they chucked them out onto the street on Anne's seventeenth birthday and never looked at them again. They had to learn how to fend for themselves.

The government supported them slightly, letting them live in a rent-free flat for two months until both of them could get jobs and get back into public high school. After that, they were alone once more. 

They were put into the same year at school, halfway through fifth year, where they met Cathy and Anna as they were their tour guides. It took Anne exactly an hour to develop a crush on Cathy and for her to start banter with Anna. Kat was much timider, staying quiet for most of the tour. They agreed to sit together at lunch, where they were introduced to Jane and Catherine, who preferred to be called Catalina. Catalina didn't seem very interested in the duo, but paid attention when the other three asked about their lives.

They'd been nice about their questions. "Where are you from?", "Why'd you suddenly come to this school", "How are you related?", general questions to ask the new kids. It was Jane who asked the question. It was an innocent enough question, but it caused the duo to nearly burst into tears immediately.

"So, what do your parents do?"

Kat had felt herself start shaking, tears burning her eyes. Anne grabbed her cousin's hand, squeezing it tightly as she took a shaky breath. The others all looked at the duo worriedly, even Catalina.

"Um... both of our parents died a few years ago" Anne whispered, closing her eyes and bowing her head. Kat frantically wiped the tears from her face, not wanting to seem weak. They always got in trouble if they were too weak.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry" Jane had whispered, feeling immensely guilty about her question. Fortunately, the bell rang and it was time for class again. 

By the end of that week, they both had been given after-school detentions for acting out in class. They hadn't intentionally meant to, but they both had sharp tongues and it often landed them in trouble at the orphanage. 

Christmas had passed and the girls all celebrated it together. Jane and Cathy had gone to spent time with their own family's during the day but returned by mid-evening. Since Anna and Catalina's families lived in Germany and Spain respectively, they spent the entire day with Anne and Kat. Anne's room was often their hangout spot as she was the only one to have enough spaces for six people to sit. She had bought a small Christmas tree with Cathy and Kat earlier in the month, having decorated it with yellow, green, white, red, pink and blue tinsel to represent each girl's favourite colour. Anne had left the presents she'd bought for the others under her tree so she didn't forget where she'd put them.

They agreed that the four girls who stayed at school would open the presents amongst themselves and then the other two would give and receive their presents when they came back. They exchanged their gifts and eaten Mcdonald's for breakfast, just because they could. They were glad that their local Mcdonald's had let Anne, Anna and Kat back in after their stunt a few months prior, and that the restaurant was one of the few open on Christmas day. 

Christmas had passed without any issues or anymore... bathroom fun times. Well, not to the other girls' knowledge. But, as New Year approached, the other girls all noticed the way that Anne and Kat's cheerfulness dropped. This year would be the five-year anniversary of their parent's deaths. They expected them to be sad, but they didn't expect them to shut down entirely. Anne didn't let anyone in her room except for Kat. They both barely left the room and it was to get snacks from the vending machine down the hall.

Catalina had been unlucky enough to have the room to Anne's right and she could hear the duo crying almost every night. Eventually, the crying would quieten down, meaning that one of the girls had fallen asleep. Catalina was fairly sure that it was Kat that fell asleep because the sobs became more choked. Like the person hadn't been able to show their emotions for years and only now were they allowed to be shown. She knew that Anne always had to be strong for Kat, but she wasn't sure just how strong the young girl had to be. She decided that they needed to do something. The two girls shouldn't have to suffer alone.

She told the three other girls her plan. On New Year's Eve, find a way to get the girls to let them into the dorm and let them rant. They were trying to hide their pain, most likely due to how things were in the orphanage. Neither of them really opened up about the orphanage so the others never asked. They decided that the cousins would tell them when it was time.

Anne was alone in her room when someone knocked on the door. She assumed it was Kat, but was slightly confused why she didn't just unlock the door with her key. Alas, Anne stood from her bed, ignoring the way her vision went black for a moment, before stumbling her way to the door. She pulled the door open and flinched when she saw the other girls standing there.

Catalina winced slightly when she saw the younger girl. Her hair was tangled and greasy, she had dark bags under her eyes, her cheeks were tear-stained and her face was pale. It was clear that she hadn't been eating properly since Christmas as Catalina could see the way her hands were shaking and the way her knees were ready to collapse any second. 

"Oh... hi" Anne whispered, her voice rough. The others didn't like how weak she sounded. It hurt their hearts.

"Hey. Can we come in?" Jane asked, her voice motherly and soft. Anne nodded hesitantly, stepping to the side to let them in. As they all entered the room, they noticed beer bottles littering the room and the packets of cigarettes collecting on the bedside cabinet. 

"Didn't know you smoked" Catalina said quietly, glancing around the room with a concerned expression.

"Didn't know you cared" Anne snapped back, collapsing onto the couch and pulling a blanket over herself. Catalina winced slightly. She may not have been the greatest at showing it, but she definitely cared for the girl.

"So... where's Kat?" Jane asked, sitting on the opposite side of the couch. 

"She went back to her room to shower. Said that the smoke made her clothes icky" The younger girl replied, staring intently at the floor. Anna sighed. She hated seeing her best friend so miserable.

"Okay. Look, we hate knowing that you're both miserable. We know that it's hard for you both-" Anne cut Catalina off with a scoff as she stood up.

"You don't know shit. You still have your parents. You have brothers and sisters and uncles and aunts and cousins and nieces and nephews and all that shit. You all still have family. You don't get it. How could you? It's not like your parents got so fucking drunk that they decided to go and drive down the country roads at five in the morning and spin off a fucking cliff, is it? It's not like you had to spend your New Year's Day in the police station, not knowing what the fuck was happening because they refused to tell you. It's not like you had to be told by a random stranger that your only family was dead. You weren't taken to a fucking orphanage where the staff treated you like dirt and would beat you if you did something wrong. It's not like you spent three years being abused by the only people who were meant to care for you. It's not like you were thrown onto the streets and were suddenly responsible for not only your own life, but your only family's too. I had to take care of Kat when I barely knew how to take care of myself. I had to join a school where people had money. People could afford fancy clothes and fancy cars and we couldn't even afford food some weeks, despite both of us working. You don't know anything, so don't act like you know what the fuck we're going through" Anne started crying before she finished her first sentence. She was yelling by the end of her rant as Cathy pulled her into a tight embrace.

The others sat there in silence, Anne's sobs being the only noise. They barely noticed that Kat had entered the room just as Anne started ranting until they heard the door clicked shut as the youngest girl leant against it. Anna turned her head to see Kat standing there, her face hidden in her hands. The older girls quickly went to her side, where Kat flung herself into a hug. Anna just held the girl, rubbing circles on her back gently. 

This wasn't how Catalina's plan was meant to go, but this was still something. Anne had definitely ranted and opened up about a lot more than they were anticipating. None of them knew the pressure that she was under, trying to care for Kat while also holding a job and doing school. 

Eventually, Anne collapsed back onto the couch, wiping her eyes.

"Sorry. I just... I'm not good with emotions. I don't think I've ever spoke about how I felt when it all happened and then more and more shit kept happening and it all just got buried" She mumbled as Cathy sat beside her, holding her hand and tracing patterns onto the back of it. 

"You don't need to apologise babes. That's kinda why we came here. We wanted to let you both rant about everything because we hate knowing that you're locking yourselves in here and trying to deal with your grief alone. We're all here for you, whether you want us to be or not. Because we're a family. It's not just about blood, it's about a bond" Catalina said softly, glancing between both girls. Kat, who was still hugging Anna, looked over the older girl's shoulder to see the others. She exchanged a look with Anne, who nodded slightly.

"We're family" She mumbled into Anna's shoulder.

"Course we are. We're all family" Anna whispered back, slowly releasing from the hug as the two moved over to the others. Kat slumped down onto Anne's beanbag and curled up as Anne threw a blanket over her before pulling the previous one that she was using back over herself and Cathy too now. Anna turned the TV on, letting The Simpsons play quietly as the cousins started to fall asleep. They'd spent the last week crying instead of sleeping, they needed this. The others made quiet conversation before changing the channel to the New Year's countdown.

As the fireworks exploded at the London Eye on the TV, the awake girls wished one another a Happy New Years before quietly telling the sleeping duo the same. Cathy kissed Anne's hand gently before snuggling up and getting comfortable, knowing that she wouldn't be moving until the other girl was awake again. She didn't mind though. She said goodnight as the other girls left for their dorms, turning off the TV as they went. Anna took Kat's key to lock the door after seeing the predicament that Cathy was currently in. 

Just as Cathy was drifting off to sleep, Anne mumbled something.

"Thank you for staying"

Cathy wasn't sure if the girl was awake or not, but she smiled and kissed the younger girl's cheek softly before falling asleep with her head on Anne's shoulder. Maybe her back would hurt by morning, but that was a price that she was willing to take to ensure that her girlfriend got a good night's rest.


	5. Double Date Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane and Henry decided to go on a double date with Anne and Cathy  
> One thing leads to another...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings for this chapter:  
> Referenced attempted rape/non-con  
> Referenced threats with a weapon  
> Referenced threat of grievous body harm

It was Jane's idea. A double date. Her and Henry with Anne and Cathy. They could go to the little cafe near campus and just talk for a while. They didn't know Henry very well and this was the perfect chance for them to get to know him. After all, Jane had already started planning their lives after she graduated and she wanted her friends to be apart of it.

She had asked Cathy, who thought that it was a good idea and they discussed when to meet up. Cathy said that she'd talk to Anne and Jane said that she knew Henry would be delighted to get to know them better.

Anne tried her best to cancel the date. She couldn't stand to be around Henry. Not after what he tried to do to her. But, she couldn't explain that to Cathy since she never told her about it. She didn't want Cathy to think less of her, or to think that she wanted it to happen. She may have been drunk, but she knew that she said no. She was just grateful that Kat had stumbled into that bedroom before Henry could take things too far. 

Despite her best attempts, Cathy and Jane insisted that Anne went on the double date. And when Cathy gave her puppy-dog eyes, Anne really couldn't say no, no matter how much her gut feeling was telling her that this was a bad idea. 

She didn't know what to expect. Would he remember what had happened? Would he feel uncomfortable with her being there? Anne had no idea what would happen, but she tried her best to look excited about the date. After all, Cathy would be by her side the entire time anyways.

She reluctantly dressed relatively nicely, considering the fact that Jane would probably be in a nice skirt despite the chilly weather. Anne wore black skinny jeans and one of Cathy's black and blue flannels that the younger girl had stolen, a band t-shirt underneath it. She left her hair down, letting the waves fall down her back. She knew she looked good. She always did.

She met up with Cathy at the main doors to the dorms, getting greeted with a kiss on the cheek. Cathy took her hand as they walked to the cafe and rambled about a book she had just finished reading that she got at Christmas from her mum. Anne half paid attention, her mind swirling with all the different ways the date could go wrong. To say she was dreading it would be an understatement. 

The duo entered the cafe, the strong scent of coffee and baked goods hitting them immediately. Anne inhaled deeply, finding a small amount of comfort in the scent. Cathy squeezed her hand gently before leading her over to a table, where Jane and Henry were already sitting. Henry clearly didn't put any effort into how he looked, considering the fact that his hoodie was stained, his hair was greasy and his tracksuit bottoms had some suspicious white stains on them. He really didn't look like he was meant to be in a fairly nice cafe. More, in a bar watching the football and screaming when his team lost. Actually, he was probably going to do that tonight.

Jane smiled at the couple as they approached and Anne was right. She was wearing a nice yellow dress that definitely seemed too summer-like for mid-January. She didn't look like she should be sitting with Henry, but there they were. She had some kind of tea in front of her, that she most likely paid for herself, and Henry had a can of Monster. God, Anne hated this man.

"Hello, dolls! Nice to see that you made it" Jane spoke softly. Henry looked up from his phone for a split second, eyeing the two, before flipping his gaze back. Anne tried her best not to roll her eyes. The girls took their seats across from the couple, Anne being forced to sit across from Henry. He didn't acknowledge her, which was a good thing in her books. 

They made small talk, Jane talking about a new dish that she was learning how to make in her hospitality class, Cathy talking about a new story she was writing for her creative writing class and Anne occasionally mentioning things that she'd heard in the halls about other students. That was like, her superpower. She could be invisible and overhear anything in the corridors while also being super popular and be told all the gossip about every single student at the school. Of course, there were downsides to that. She ended up carrying secrets about people she barely knew and some of them were seriously dark.

Jane had finished her drink just as Cathy decided that she'd like to try one of the cafe's unique coffee's. Jane offered to go up to the counter with her to get herself another tea, so they did. Leaving Anne alone with Henry. She felt a weight hit her in the chest as she realised that she had to deal with him by herself. Maybe he wouldn't say anything.

"Long time no see, huh sweetheart?"

Goddammit.

"Not long enough, dickhole" Anne gritted her teeth. Even his voice brought back faint memories from that night.

"No need to be so feisty. But, I guess that's what I like about you. You've got such a temper but you're so enticing" He grunted, looking up from his phone, a wicked smirk on his face. Anne grimaced, looking at the table. She heard him scoff and click his tongue.

"Oh, come on baby. No need to be like that. Take the compliment. You know, your name goes around my place a lot. All the boys tell me how sexy you are. How you lead them on, but won't do anything with them. I tell them how I nearly had you until your idiot of a cousin caught us. Stupid bitch" Anne had to stop herself from smacking the shit out of him. She clenched her fists, looking up and glaring at him.

"Don't you dare talk about Kat like that. She's ten times smarter than you could ever be. And you didn't nearly 'have me', you tried to assault me. I said no, but you wouldn't bloody listen. You're a pig" She spat at him. His smirk only grew.

"And I'd do it again. Just wait, babes" He whispered just as Jane and Cathy came back, laughing about something. Anne felt tears burning in her eyes and quickly excused herself, rushing to the bathroom.

Her hands were shaking despite her grip on the sink. She felt sick. He knew what he did. He knew and said he'd try it again. Anne tried to steady her breathing, wiping tears from her cheeks. The door creaked open and Jane walked in, surprised to see the younger girl in such a state.

"Oh, honey! What's wrong?" She asked, closing the door behind her and coming straight to Anne's side. The younger girl swallowed nervously, biting her lip.

"You know you can tell me anything, don't you? Remember, we're all family" Jane added, resting a hand on Anne's shoulder, reassuringly. 

"I-It's Henry. He... He tried to assault me at a party last year and he just said that he'd try it again" Anne whispered, frantically wiping her tears again. Jane stood, frozen in thought, her eyebrows furrowed.

"We were together all of last year though. He wouldn't have done something like that" She said softly. Anne shook her head.

"He did, Jane. I wouldn't lie about something like this. I-I said no. I know I said no. But, he didn't stop. He wouldn't stop. He would've gone through with it if Kat didn't crash into the room" She mumbled, her heart racing. She tried to calm her breathing once again, only to hear Jane scoff.

"I don't know why you're saying all this. Henry's a nice guy, he's not like the others. He wouldn't do something like that. I don't know why you're lying to me, but I really don't appreciate it. And, you're dragging Kat into it too? Why, are you trying to break us up?" She huffed, staring at Anne in shock. 

"I'm not lying, Jane-"

"Yes. You are. I know Henry" She cut the younger girl off, her gaze turning into a glare. She shook her head lightly, before turning to the door.

"I don't even want to talk to you right now" She spat before leaving the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Anne leaned against the sink, sobbing softly. Nobody ever believed her. She didn't expect Jane to immediately take her word for it, but to say that she was lying about it? Lying about something so serious? Anne was rarely ever serious, so when she was, it must be a big deal. And for Jane to refuse to believe her, to accuse her of lying out of jealously, it hurt her. 

Henry was a bad man. Anne knew it. Katherine knew it. Anna knew it. Catalina never trusted him. Cathy didn't know him enough to have an opinion, but she knew that he made her slightly uncomfortable.

But Jane didn't see it. She thinks that he truly loves her. That he's the man for her. That they'll spend their lives together, have kids together, grow old together. She thinks that he's good. And Anne doesn't know how to make her see the true him. The one that tried to assault her at a party. The one who ignored her saying no. The one who had gotten mad when Katherine opened the bedroom door. The one that had pulled a knife on both girls. The one that threatened to slit their throats if they so much as breathed a word of what had happened. 

The one that had a criminal record for this type of stuff. 

Anne doesn't know how to help her friend. She doesn't know how she's meant to function while knowing that Jane has probably told Henry what Anne had said. She doesn't know how she's meant to feel safe, knowing that he threatened to try and assault her again. She doesn't know what she's meant to do...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me vs bullshitting the ending so the chapter is longer :)
> 
> I have a plan for another... four or five chapters that focus upon these types of themes a lot, so PLEASE, if it makes you uncomfortable, stop reading.  
> Other than that, please comment your thoughts on this book (?) and please... share it? I'd really appreciate it


	6. Striker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first major football match of the school season happens and it doesn't go all too smoothly

Cathy wasn't sure what to think when Jane stormed out of the bathroom, grabbed Henry and made an excuse for why they had to leave. She was even more confused when she went into the bathroom and saw Anne, sobbing at the sink. She immediately grabbed her girlfriend into a tight embrace, whispering soothing words and rubbing her back gently. Anne refused to speak about what had happened, repeatedly saying that she needed to talk to Kat. It hurt Cathy slightly that she couldn't help with whatever had happened, but she helped Anne back to her dorm before going to get Kat. She'd left them alone afterwards, unsure of what the hell had happened.

She did the only rational thing that she could think off. She texted Jane, asking what had actually happened and why she had left her girlfriend sobbing in the bathroom. Jane opened the message, but never replied which only added to Cathy's worry. She went back to her room, slumping down in her desk chair before opening her laptop and start an entry in her journal, trying to describe what had happened.

Kat was ready to beat Henry to death. She was already ready to, but now she had a clear motive. And Jane. She wasn't sure what to think about her right now. She was practically the mum of their friend group, yet she refused to believe Anne and accused her of lying. Kat was frustrated with her. But, right now, she was more focused on comforting her cousin.

Two weeks after the cafe incident, and it was the first major football game of the school's season. It was GWC, Greenwich College, against WHC, Whitehall College. Despite their friend group being in an awkward place, Cathy, Catalina and Jane all came to support their team. They sat together, Jane slightly further away but still beside them. 

The first half went smoothly, Anne scoring two goals while the other team couldn't get past Anna's defending. The Whitehall students were clearly getting aggravated, booing whenever their team lost the ball. Half-way through the second half, however, one of Whitehall's defenders tackled Anne, knocking her clean off her feet. The ref blew the whistle when she didn't stand back up. Anna and Kat made their way up the field quickly. Anne was laying still, one arm over her ribs with her eyes closed tightly from the pain.

"Yo, Bo, you good?" Anna panted, kneeling by her friend's side. Anne groaned in response. The Whitehall played had a smirk on her face, which caught Kat's attention. She went right into the other girl's face, a snarl on her lips.

"You think it's fucking funny?" She spat, pushed the other girl, who stumbled back. She looked afraid, as she should. 

"Kat, don't. You'll only get sent off!" Anna called over. Kat stopped, glaring at the Whitehall player.

"You'll regret messing with my friend" She hissed before returning to her cousin's side. The ref pulled a red card for the Whitehall student, who stomped off the field. Anna and one of the medical team helped Anne stand up. She winced but tried to shake it off. There wasn't long left in the match, she'd be okay.

Jane was looking onto the pitch in worry. She might be mad at Anne right now, but she didn't want to see the girl hurt. She saw Kat getting up in the other team's face and shove the player and was slightly shocked. She hadn't seen the younger girl so aggressive before. She put it down to her being worried for her cousin.

She heard Cathy breathe a sigh of relief when Anne stood up. Jane sighed softly, glad to know that her friend wasn't seriously injured.

Despite the crushing pain of her ribs, Anne managed to score once more before the match ended. She was the first off the pitch, going straight to the changing room and laying down on the bench. She focused on her shallow breathing rather than the nauseating pain, closing her eyes tightly. She barely heard anyone enter the changing room until she felt a presence by her side.

"Hey Gremlin" The voice was soft. Anne cracked open one eye to see Cathy kneeling beside the bench, her eyes full of concern.

"Hey" Anne wheezed weakly. Talking hurt, apparently. She winced as she tried to sit up again, only for Cathy to gently push her back down by the shoulder. 

"Kat's getting you ibuprofen to try and ease the pain. You played amazing today, even after that girl knocked you down. Three nil? I think that's pretty impressive considering the state you're in now" She said softly, carefully taking Anne's hair out of the ponytail it was in, brushing out the tangles gently. 

"You saying it wouldn't be impressive if I wasn't dying?" Anne mumbled quietly, her eyes fluttering shut again at the soft gesture. It was soothing, distracting her from the pain. Cathy chuckled lightly, shaking her head.

"You're always impressive on the field" She replied, just as Kat entered the changing room, medicine and a bottle of water in her hands. She sat beside Cathy on the ground as Anne raised her head so she wouldn't choke on the water. Kat handed her the things, unscrewing the bottle lid. 

"How you feeling?" She asked after Anne had swallowed the pills. The older girl sighed quietly, flopping her head back down. 

"Where's everyone else?" Cathy asked. It was unusual for the team to stay on the field this long after the match had finished. 

"Trying to stop Anna from murdering the girl who tackled Anne. Apparently, her name is Elisabeth York and she's got a record for things like this, but her mum and dad practically fund the entire college, so they can't kick her off the team. Anna was walking past her when she said something about how she can't wait for the next time and how she wants to like, permanently hurt someone. 'Course, Anna decided that Elisabeth is the one to get permanently hurt and charges at her" Kat explained, biting her lip to stop from smiling. Cathy sighed before laughing quietly.

"Of course Anna's gonna be the one getting in fights after the game ends. Unlike you. I honestly thought you were about to deck her right there on the pitch" She couldn't help but chuckle when Kat's cheeks flushed pink.

"She had it coming" She replied shortly, just as the door opened and the rest of the team walked in, laughing at something.

"Ey, yo! Boleyn! How you feeling mate?" One of the girls, Maggie, if Cathy remembers right, asks as she spots Anne, who's still laying on the bench.

"Like I got hit in the ribs by a bloody car" She groaned. Maggie winces, walking past the trio.

"Well, I don't think that lass is gonna be playing any time soon. Cleves made sure of that" She grinned before disappearing to change out of her kit. The trio looked up at Anna, who was wiping a small amount of blood from her lip, a smirk on her face.

"Oh my god, did you kill her?" Kat asked, her eyes wide. Anna held her hands up, fake surrendering. 

"I may or may not have shattered the bones in one of her feet" She said, ignoring Kat's gasp of surprise. 

"What you gonna do when she reports you" Anne mumbled from the bench.

"Ah, you see young one, that won't be an issue. Because I told her and her snobby teammates that if they said a word, I'd make sure that none of them could even think of walking again, let alone playing football" Anna replied, cracking her knuckles as she sat by Anne's feet on the bench.

"Wow. My hero" The younger girl muttered in a monotone voice, rolling her eyes. Anna shook her head before standing again to go and get changed.

"We're taking you to the nurse in a minute. You good to get changed or...?" Kat asked, standing up from her cousin's side. Anne slowly sat up, with help from Cathy, whimpering quietly. 

"I can get changed... maybe" She mumbled, leaning against the wall.

"Want me to help?" Cathy asked quietly, taking Anne's hand into her own. If Anne didn't feel like death, she would have made a comment on how Cathy's offer sounded, but she was more focused on blinking away the stars that had formed in her eyes, so she just nodded slightly. Cathy helped her stand up, slinging the younger girl's arm over her shoulder to help stabilise herself as they walked to the changing stalls.

Getting changed was a lot harder than it should've been. Anne couldn't raise her arms so Cathy struggled to help get her shirt off. The second she did, she saw the intense bruising on the younger girl's back and ribs. No wonder she was in pain, she was practically black and blue. By the time Anne was back in her regular clothes, all the other girls had finished getting changed and had left. Anna and Kat were waiting outside the stall, talking quietly to one another.

Anna went to Anne's other side to help support her as Kat took her bag. They walked slowly to the nurses building, occasionally stopping so Anne could catch her breath. When they got there, the nurse took her straight away since there were no other pupils waiting, Kat going with them to explain what had happened. Cathy slumped down in a chair, Anna sitting beside her.

"Was Jane at the match?" Anna asked after a few awkward moments of silence. Cathy nodded slowly, her gaze flickering towards the other girl. Anna sighed quietly and Cathy wasn't sure if it was out of relief or out of frustration. 

"I know things are shakey in the group right now. But, we need to be on Anne's side. Henry is a bad person, but Jane doesn't see that. She doesn't know what he's done" She muttered as her phone chimed. She checked the notification, smirking slightly.

"It's the team's chat. Maggie said that they're gonna have a party tomorrow night and has invited all of us, assuming Anne's up for it" She glanced at Cathy, who was biting her lip. 

"Let's see how she is first" She mumbled, and Anna knew instantly that she was worried.

"She's tough. She'll be okay, probably just needs to rest it off" She gently bumped her shoulder with the smaller girl's. Cathy gave her a half-hearted smile.

Anna was right, the nurse told her to take things easy for the next week and to keep taking ibuprofen to ease the pain and bruising. However, the second Anne heard about a party, she immediately said that she'd be there. College was about parties and she would be damned if she missed one that was special to her. To celebrate the win. Anna had replied to Maggie, saying that they'd all be there, including Catalina and Jane, as Cathy had messaged them to see if they wanted to go.

What none of them knew, however, was that Jane had sent a message to Henry asking if he wanted to come and celebrate the football team's win. He asked who was on the team and when Anne's name came up, he instantly said yes. Jane thought nothing of it. Henry spent the rest of the night thinking about it. Thinking about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me vs writing about football while knowing nothing about football


	7. Party Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the students celebrate the football team's win, Henry decides that it's the perfect time to put his plan into action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YO!!!
> 
> Trigger Warnings, because this chapter is gonna get fucked up:  
> Attempted rape/non-con  
> Non-con drug use  
> Drunk characters (I'm not sure if people have an issue with that, but like... alcohol and stuff is involved, just in case you're not comfortable with that)
> 
> Please, read at your own risk

Anne had spent the rest of Friday and the majority of Saturday resting, only leaving her bed to go to the bathroom. Kat and Cathy refused to leave her, in case she needed anything. She kept insisting that she was fine, but the duo still stayed. 

By Saturday evening, she was feeling slightly better than she had since the game. She got changed into a green mesh shirt and black straight-legged trousers when Kat and Cathy went to their own rooms to get ready for the night's events. She took it light on the makeup, just some eyeliner and eye shadow, along with her signature red lipstick. She had taken two ibuprofen tablets before leaving her room to meet with the other girls to head to Maggie's house, where the party was being held.

She arrived at the car park, thinking that she was the last person there. However, she noticed as she got closer that there were only four other girls there. Jane was nowhere to be found.

"She said she'd meet us there. Therefore, one of us has to drive" Catalina spoke up, noticing the girl's confused expression as she approached. Anne sighed as she spotted the keys in the older girl's hands. She knew that Catalina didn't like driving with other people due to a past experience that she refused to elaborate on, so Anne pried the keys from her hand. 

"I am not being the designated driver. I'm saying that now, I absolutely bloody refuse to stay sober" She exclaimed dramatically, although there was a small smirk on her face. The others climbed into the vehicle, Cathy claiming shotgun, despite Kat's protests. Anna instantly claimed the music and started playing a playlist called 'Roadtrips with the homies' which had the best driving music ever. Or, so she said.

Anne drove them to the party, ignoring the dull ache of her ribs. She would be fine once the night started. She spent most of the drive wondering why Jane wasn't with them. Had she backed out of the party because of the tension between them? Had she just not gotten ready in time and decided to leave later? Anne didn't know, but it made her feel slightly uneasy.

Maggie's house had a massive front area, allowing Anne to park the vehicle easily. As the group approached the house, Anne spotted a car. _His_ car. She froze for a moment, staring at it as her mind raced. Why was he here? Did Jane invite him? Is that why she didn't ride with them, because she wanted to come with him? Kat nudged her shoulder, snapping Anne out of her daze.

"You good? The younger girl asked. Anne just nodded, her chest tight at the thought of the man. She continued to walk towards the house with the group, trying to push the negative thought out of her mind. She was meant to be having a good time tonight and she'd be damned if Henry messed with her plans. 

It wasn't a massive party, but it was definitely enjoyable. The football team and most people that they were associated with were there and, considering the fact that they were all fairly popular, there was quite a lot of people. Kat and Anna had instantly gone to dance with Bessie and Maggie as Cathy, Catalina and Anne made their way to the kitchen for drinks, spotting Maria and Joan on the way. Anne knew that she had to take it relatively easy with the alcohol due to the medication that she was taking, but that wouldn't stop her from having at least one good drink.

She had her drink in one of the standard red plastic cups that she was fairly sure someone had bought from Poundland as she made her way back to the main room. She watched as everyone danced, laughing to herself at some people's horrible moves, mainly Maggie and Kat's. Her eyes trailed around the room, in attempts to find anyone else she was relatively close with at the party. Then, her eyes landed on them.

Jane and Henry were dancing. Or, more like, Jane was dancing and Henry was standing with a half-empty bottle of beer, watching. Anne couldn't help but watch the couple, an uneasy feeling resting in her chest. She felt her entire body tense up as Henry walked past her, going into the kitchen. She placed her drink down on a table, closing her eyes and breathing for a moment. She needed to relax. She was meant to be having a good time.

"Hey Anne, watch this!" Maggie yelled, snapping Anne out of her thoughts as the chorus of 'Gangnam Style' played. She left her drink on the table, turning to face her friend. Maggie tried and failed, to dance along to the song, ending with her falling over. Anne laughed before going to help the drunk girl stand up again.

While her attention was elsewhere, Henry dropped a pill into the girl's drink as he passed by. Nobody noticed as he walked past them quickly, returning to Jane's side with a drink for her and a bottle of beer for himself. He glanced back at Anne as she picked her cup up again, her attention fading from the poorly executed dancing of her teammates. He smirked before turning his attention back to the girl he had arrived with, despite not showing any interest in the conversation she was trying to have with him.

Anne took a sip of her drink as she watched Kat and Anna dancing. They were both laughing hysterically at their failed attempts of a TikTok dance and at how well Joan could do it. She'd lost track of where Cathy and Catalina had vanished to, probably getting some fresh air outside and she had no idea where Jane was. She'd only seen the older girl in passing throughout the night, normally with Henry by her side. Anne shuddered at the thought of him, downing the rest of her drink.

Henry watched the girl stumble to the bathroom ten minutes later without catching anyone's attention. He excused himself from Jane's side, claiming that he was going to the bathroom before following the younger girl upstairs. Since the bathrooms where the only part of the party that was upstairs, Henry knew that he had plenty of time until he would get caught. 

He walked through a hallway, making sure to stay quiet, until he spotted his victim, leaning against the wall and breathing deeply. Her eyes were closed, scrunched up like she was in pain. She didn't even notice Henry's presence as he approached her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, guiding Anne into one of the bedrooms. He helped her lay down on the bed, where she collapsed, a quiet groan escaping her lips. Henry smirked, unbuttoning his shirt and taking off his own shoes, as well as Anne's. The girl lay helplessly, only vaguely aware of the hands on her body. 

Kat had stopped dancing, only because her feet hurt and not because she didn't know the moves. She found her way to the drinks in the kitchen, only to see a worried-looking Jane, fidgeting with her cup.

"Hey Janie, what's up?" The younger girl asked, pouring her own drink. Jane sighed, shaking her head.

"It's probably nothing, just that Henry went to the bathroom five minutes ago and hasn't come back" She explained, ignoring the way Kat's face scrunched up at his name. Just then, Maggie stumbled into the kitchen, a drunken grin on her face.

"Yo, you guys seen Anne? I think she went upstairs but I dunno" She asked, leaning against the doorway, a red cup full of whatever kind of drink in her hand. Kat felt her heart rate pick up dramatically and the colour drain from her face. Henry had gone upstairs, where the bathrooms were and Anne was up there too? Kat dropped her drink and grabbed Jane's hand, running to the stairs. She grabbed Anna's hand on the way too, dragging the girl away from whatever conversation she had been apart of.

"What's happening?" She asked as the trio raced up the stairs.

"Anne and Henry are up here. Alone" Kat hissed, dropping the other girls' wrists. They immediately saw one of the bedrooms with the door closed, meaning that someone was in it.

Henry had his shirt, shoes and belt flung around the room, his hands trailing all over Anne's body. The girl was laying there, her own shirt having been torn off of her, helpless at the man that was on top of her. She could do nothing but whimper as his rough hands trailed over her bruised ribs, her mind to heavy and cloudy to understand what was happening. 

There was a bang and Henry spun his head around to see three very pissed off women. Before he could even inhale, Kat charged at him, tackling him off of her cousin and onto the floor. She punched him in the side of the head with her entire force, knocking him out instantly. Anna had rushed to her best friend's side, covering her with the jacket the older girl had been wearing. Anna noticed how limp the girl was and gritted her teeth.

"We need to take her to the hospital" She spoke into the silence. Kat glanced away from the man she'd knocked out and up to her friend, her eyes wide in concern.

"She's not hurt. But, she's clearly been drugged and, if we want proof that will get _him_ away from us, this will be it" Anna explained, practically hissing while addressing Henry. Kat stood up from the floor, kicking Henry's leg as she did, before turning to Jane.

"Can you drive us?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jane had watched the whole scene in shock. Seeing the way Henry, the man that she loved and had planned her future with, hovering over one of her friends like that, it disgusted her. Seeing how weak and defenceless Anne was, it made Jane realise how wrong she'd been. The younger girl had told her that Henry had tried this before and that he was bad news, but she had ignored her. She had pushed her friends away for a boy. A disgusting, vile boy.

She flinched at the hand on her shoulder, making Katherine pull her hand back. Jane cleared her throat, quickly wiping the few stray tears from her cheeks.

"Of course. It's the least that I can do" She said softly, her voice breaking slightly.

"Kat, go find Cathy and Catalina. They need to know. And, you know, maybe tell one of the sober girls about him" Anna nodded her head towards Henry's body, screwing her nose up in disgust. Kat nodded before racing down the stairs to do as she was told. Anna scooped Anne up bridal-style carefully, making sure not to hurt her any further. The girl just whimpered softly, resting her head against Anna's shoulder. Jane fixed Anna's jacket around the younger girl, making sure that she was covered as they went down the stairs after Kat. 

Kat nearly fell down the stairs in her hurry to get the other two girls. She found them in the kitchen, laughing at something. Their laughter stopped immediately when they saw the distressed girl.

"Woah, Kat! What's wrong?" Catalina asked, placing her hands on Kat's shoulders to steady her.

"Henry! He tried... Anne, she's..." Kat exclaimed, panting heavily. Cathy gave a worried look at her, then to Catalina, who returned it.

"Breathe. Slowly. And tell us what happened" The older girl said softly. Kat heaved in a deep breathe.

"Henry drugged Anne and tried to hurt her again, but we got there just in time and now we need to take Anne to the hospital because she's barely conscious and I punched Henry and knocked him out and he's on the floor upstairs and I need to get someone who's sober to call the police on him and we need to take Anne" She huffed out quickly, panting again as she finished. The other two girls stayed frozen for a few seconds, trying to process what she had just said. 

The kitchen went silent after hearing what Kat had said. A still-sober Maria quickly went to them, saying that she'll get the police and make sure that Henry doesn't get the chance to leave. Kat thanked her quietly just as Anna and Jane appeared down the stairs, Anne in Anna's arms. Cathy covered her mouth with her hand as she gasped as Catalina gently put an arm around her, pulling her into a side hug. 

Anna spotted the three and nodded her head to the door, making them rush over quickly. As the group left the house, Maria called the police and told them what she knew about the situation. The rest of the party-goers decided that they should leave, a few mostly-sober boys staying behind in case Henry tried to run. 

Maria sat on the couch, a passed-out Maggie beside her. Joan and Bessie were sitting on the floor beside the couch, making small-talk with the boys. It was just a waiting game now. She knew that one of the other girls would send one of them a message about how Anne was doing, but she was still nervous. She sighed to herself.

This was meant to be a good party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love a good bit of drama-


	8. Truth Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Anne is rushed to the hospital, tension flys high with the five other girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings:  
> Referenced attempted rape/non-con  
> Referenced threats with a weapon  
> Referenced threat of grievous body harm  
> Referenced non-con drug use

If Jane went any faster, she would have been breaking the law. Her grip was so tight on the steering wheel that her knuckles were chalk white. She couldn't even think of Henry just now, it made her feel too much. She wasn't completely sure what emotions she was feeling. Anger? Fear? Disgust? Heartbreak? She didn't know. What she did know was that she needed to get Anne to the emergency room and then, she owed the younger girl an apology. 

Catalina was watching Jane out the corner of her eye. She noticed how tense the other woman was, how her eyes were empty but also full at the same time. She could almost see the cogs turning in Jane's head, trying to figure out what she had witnessed. She had seen the man she trusted and loved trying to assault one of her best friends. Catalina wouldn't blame her if she just shut down at the sight. Catalina was trying to focus more on Jane than Anne because it hurt her to see the younger girl in such a state. She was slumped against Anna, fading in and out of conscious and whimpering softly whenever she was awake. It hurt Catalina's heart to see the girl in such a state. 

Kat was knawing on her nails, ignoring the way her hands were shaking. She was angry at Henry for being such a disgusting excuse of a human and she was scared for the safety and health of her cousin. She barely acknowledged the faint bruising forming on her hand or tears that were burning in her eyes as she looked out of the window. She couldn't look at Anne without feeling nauseous. She should've known the second that she saw Henry at the party to stay close, but instead she went dancing and left Anne alone. She was mad at herself for being stupid enough to leave her cousin alone. Kat didn't even realise that she was now stabbing her jagged nails into the palms of her hands.

Anna was trying her best to comfort her best friend whenever she was conscious. Quiet whispers of reassurance, gently brushing her fingers through the other girl's dark hair, a gentle squeeze of her hand, whatever she could do. Part of her was angry. Angry at Jane. Furious with Henry. But, she knew that being angry wouldn't help anyone right now, so she focused on being the caring one. She knew that Kat would become restless and impatient at the hospital and might snap at someone, she knew that Cathy would psych herself out and get lost in her negative thoughts, she knew that Catalina would try and hide her concern and end up acting cold and she knew that Jane would be blaming herself and stressing out. Anna knew how to keep herself together and she knew how to make sure that the others didn't fall apart. She knew how and when to be strong, and now was definitely one of those times.

Cathy sat alone in the back of the car. She was never the best at showing her emotions, but tears were slipping down her cheeks slowly. Her mind was already going to the worst scenarios. What if Anne was blamed for what happened? What if Henry got away with it? What would have happened if the others didn't find them in time? She had to stifle a sob, pulling the flannel she was wearing tighter around her body. It had been Anne's until Cathy stole it two months prior, yet it still had the younger girl's candy floss body wash scent. Cathy wasn't sure if it was helping or not, but she kept breathing it in. It was making her feel closer to her girl.

Jane didn't even know if she'd parked in between the lines, but that was the least of her worries right now. The group all rushed into the emergency room, Anna carrying Anne again. Catalina explained the briefs of what had happened and Anne was immediately taken away. They all ended up in a corridor in the hospital as the doctors took DNA tests from the young girl. The rest of the girls all slumped down in the chairs along the hallway. Cathy's foot was drumming anxiously on the floor, Kat looked ready to punch someone or something and Jane had her head resting in her hands and was trying to keep herself from crying. Catalina and Anna exchanged a look of worry for their friends.

There was a tense silence.

"You knew" Kat spat out, her jaw clenched tightly. Anna could see her hands shaking, but wasn't sure if it was from worry or anger. Or both.

"You knew!" The youngest girl spat again, her head snapping to face Jane. Jane looked up slowly, flinching at the burning anger in Kat's eyes.

"I didn't know he-"

"You knew that he tried it before! She told you and you accused her of fucking lying!" Kat cut off Jane's attempts at explaining herself with a sharp voice. Anna saw the way Cathy and Catalina snapped towards Jane, both with confused looks.

"I'm sorry, what? He's tried this before?" Catalina asked, trying her best to keep herself calm. Kat scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest tightly.

"He's got a fucking criminal record for it. He had the record before he tried it with Annie last year, he's a convicted..." She couldn't bring herself to say the word, instead just sighing angrily.

"He tried it last year? W-With Anne?" Cathy whispered, giving Kat a tearful look.

"Yeah. It was at Edward Stanley's party before we graduated. Jane invited him, him and Anne ended up getting drunk and he took her up to one of the bedrooms. He tried to feel her up, she said no, he didn't stop and he tried it. I ended up finding them before he could do anything and he got angry. Like, super angry. He pulled a knife from his sock and threatened to... to slit our throats if we said anything about it. We never told anyone about it. Anna ended up finding out about it because Anne refused to speak about that party or about him, but no one else" Kat explained, the angry tone slipping from her voice and being replaced with one of pain. Anna squeezed the younger girl's shoulder gently.

Kat sniffled before her shoulders tensed up again as her anger returned.

"And you knew. You refused to believe her when she told you. She told you that he said to her that he'd try it again and you refused to believe her!" She spat at Jane, who looked horrified. 

"I... I didn't know he threatened you both" Jane whispered shakily. Catalina looked between the two, trying to understand what was happening.

"I'm gonna be sick" Cathy muttered, jumping up from her seat and practically running from the corridor. Catalina jumped up and went after her quickly, throwing Anna a worried look before disappearing around the corner.

"Okay, we all need time to cool off and breathe. Jane, come on a walk with me and Kat, just stay here in case the doctors say anything since you're the only one out of us who's actually family" Anna said, standing up slowly. Neither of the other two girls said anything, Jane standing up and silently trailing after Anna.

Cathy wasn't doing all that great. It was like she was in shock. After Kat told her about what had happened at the party last year, she couldn't help but feel sick. And she kept remembering Anne in the bathroom of the cafe in the midst of a panic attack after her talk with Jane. The genuine fear in her eyes at the memories of what had happened and the ideas of what he would try and do to her. Anne had protested to the idea of the double date, but Cathy had convinced her to go. If she hadn't then maybe none of this would have happened. 

Cathy was vaguely aware of Catalina's hand on her back as she gagged into the toilet. It brought her the smallest bit of comfort that she could have at present time.

Anna sighed as she turned another corner, Jane by her side. She didn't know what to say, but she knew that Kat needed some time alone to breathe and calm down. She couldn't take all of her anger out on Jane.

"I don't know how to make this right" Jane whispered eventually, tears slipping down her cheeks slowly. Anna turned her head to face the other girl, a thoughtful look on her face.

"I know. I think the only way Kat will calm down again is when we find out what's happening with Anne. You need to apologise to Anne and she needs to accept it and then Kat should be okay again. She's just... Anne's her only family. She's obviously super protective over her and she can't deal with something like this. She doesn't know what she'd do without Anne and this is freaking her out. And because it was... Henry, she's turning her fear into anger and taking it out on you" She tried to explain. Jane wiped the tears on her cheeks, sighing shakily.

"It wasn't that I didn't believe Anne, it was that I didn't want to. I didn't want to believe that Henry could do something like that. I thought... I thought he truly loved me" She mumbled softly. Anna pulled the older girl into a side hug, continuing to walk around the hospital corridors. 

"It'll be okay. Thing's will work out" She gave Jane a small, reassuring smile.

Kat hated crying. She wasn't afraid to show her emotions and she wasn't afraid to cry, she just really hated it. She'd gotten a text a few minutes after Anna and Jane had left from Maria, saying that Henry had been arrested and that he'd probably be away for a long time. But, she wasn't crying out of relief. She wasn't sure why she was crying, honestly. She was still angry at Henry and Jane, but she felt bad for snapping at Jane. She was worried about Anne and she was alone. She was alone, giving herself a chance for her brain to catch up on everything properly.

A doctor made her way out of the room that Anne was in and approached Kat, who quickly wiped away her tears and tried to compose herself. 

"Katherine Howard, I assume?" The doctor asked. Kat just nodded, afraid that her voice would betray her by breaking and she would start crying again.

"Well, we've gotten samples from your cousin and we're going to send them away as soon as possible. She's still not completely together, so we've decided to keep her in overnight. Her drink was spiked with Rohypnol, meaning that she'll have very little memory of what happened so, you and your friends might have to explain it to her tomorrow. You can go in and see her now if you'd like, I have to have a conversation with the police. And, I'll tell the night staff that you can stay, if you wish" The doctor explained. Kat nodded again, whispering a quiet 'thank you' before quickly going into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this chapter shorter than I wanted? Yes  
> Did my mind go completely blank half-way through writing it? Also yes...


	9. All That's Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kat realises what she did as she sits by her cousin's side

Kat ignored the fresh tears that burned her eyes as she entered her cousin's hospital room and saw the state that the slightly older girl was in. There were wires implanted in her arms and hands that connected to various machines, which filled the room with buzzing and beeping noises. Kat pushed the door closed behind her before sitting by Anne's side in one of the cheap hospital chairs that she knew would end up hurting her back, but she didn't care just now. The only thing she cared about right now was Anne.

The ordinarily energetic girl was completely still, except for the subtle movements of her chest as she breathed. She was paler than normal, the doctors having removed her makeup, and she looked so small in the large hospital bed. The white sheets almost clashed with her skin and the poor quality of the hospital gown that she had been changed into. Kat assumed that they took her clothes as proof. 

She watched her cousin for a few moments, the machine's noises already fading into background noise along with the quiet chatter of people walking past the room or the footsteps of nurses and doctors going to their respective places. 

"I shouldn't have left you alone" She mumbled after a while, her gaze slipping to her knees as she chewed on her lower lip. 

"I knew what he said to you, I knew he was at the party and I left you alone. And if it wasn't for Jane saying that he had gone upstairs and Maggie saying that she'd seen you go up too, I don't... I don't know what could've happened. We might have been too late this time" Kat choked down a sob as tears slipped down her cheeks once again. She replayed what she'd just said in her head again, eyes widening as she realised.

"Jane told me that he had gone... if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have known. Oh god, I think I've royally fucked up now" She muttered, covering her face with her hands and tried to keep her breathing level. The last thing anyone needed was for her to have a panic attack right now. 

"Fucking, fucky, fuck, fuck. Annie, I've really messed up. That rhymed... not the point, anyway. I went on this whole rant to Jane about how she knew what he had said and that she didn't listen and I think I scared Cathy off because she said she was gonna be sick and Catalina went after her and then Anna left to walk with Jane and Jane was crying and... shit, I need to apologise to her, it's not fair that I took everything out on her, I was just... I'm just scared. Y-You're the only person I have left, Annie. And you weren't responding to us and you looked so weak and it scared me so much because I can't lose you. I can't" Kat's rant ended with her voice breaking as she gently took Anne's hand into her own, making sure not to tug at any of the wires. The room was silent again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck, I'm sorry... 
> 
> This chapter is ridiculously short and I'm totally out of my plan because I didn't think this far ahead...
> 
> I'm sorry that it's nearly been a month since this was updated, but I'm kinda lost on where to go now... :)


	10. Explain To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They need to explain themselves. And the others need to listen

There was a soft knock on the door, which startled Kat slightly. She wiped her eyes in an attempt to make herself look a little bit more stable than she was, before going to the door and pulling it open. There stood Jane and, slightly behind her, Anna, who both had worried expressions. Kat looked from Jane to Anna and then back to Jane before sighing softly and opening the door fully, allowing both girls into the room, and sauntering back to her seat. 

"Did the doctors say anything?" Anna asked as she shut the door behind her and Jane. She lent against the wall as Jane, hesitantly, took the seat next to Kat. When Kat didn't protest, Jane took it as a small sign that things would be okay again, eventually.

"They took samples and stuff like that. He used, uh... something called Rohypnol? So, she's not gonna remember a lot and we'll have to tell her. And, uh, Maria sent me a text. He's been arrested and he's gonna be away for a while" Kat's voice was small and she didn't turn her gaze to either of them and instead was on her hand, which was clasped gently with Anne's.

The room went quiet again and Anna thought that she could literally cut the tension with a knife. Kat seemed to be lost in her thoughts and Jane was trying not to cry as she looked at the cousins. Anna wondered where Cathy and Catalina where and if they were both okay.

Jane didn't know what she could say. She was scared that if she said anything, it might make Kat more annoyed, but if she didn't say anything, then it would look like she didn't care. An apology right now wouldn't do anything worthwhile and would probably just make things worse.

"I'm sorry, Jane" Kat said, her voice soft but also loud enough to fill the quiet room completely. Jane's eyes snapped to Kat, who was still looking at her and Anne's hands, and gave a confused look.

"W-Why are you apologising?" Either Kat didn't notice the quiver in Jane's voice, or she chose to ignore it. Either way, Jane was thankful.

"For snapping at you like I did. It's not your fault that he did what he did. If anything, I think you might have saved Anne. You were worried about where he had gone and then Maggie said that Anne had gone upstairs and that's where he was too and... I hadn't even noticed that Anne had disappeared. If it wasn't for you, then we might have been too late. You drove us all here and you just found out that the guy you loved was trying to cheat on you and it wasn't fair of me to snap at you. I'm sorry and... thank you. For getting us here" Kat wiped a stray tear from her cheek and took a deep breath, glancing at Jane for a split-second. 

Jane was dumbfounded. She wasn't expecting Kat to apologise, let alone thank her. She looked over at Anna, who seemed just as bewildered at the situation. 

"I'm sorry for ignoring what Anne said about him. I didn't want to believe it, I thought he truly loved me. I shouldn't have brought him to the party and I should've talked to him about what Anne told me. I think I knew deep down that she was telling the truth, she was... she was so distraught in that bathroom and I accused her of lying and I kept defending him. I know I've really messed up here and I don't expect you or Anne or anyone else really, to magically forgive me, but I just want you to know that I'm so sorry for everything that's happened" The hurt was evident in Jane's voice.

There was no denying that the last few days had been extremely intense for their entire friend group, but more so for Anne and Jane. Jane wasn't sure if Anne would be able to look at her the same ever again, she'd betrayed the younger girl's trust and possibly ruined their friendship. Jane couldn't even blame Anne if she wanted to cut Jane out of her life. She deserved it, after all, a lot of the actions recently had been her fault.

"You did mess up. But, this isn't your fault. It's his. He chose to do what he did, not you. You didn't play a part in his plan, he did that by himself. It's his fault, not anyone else's. His. Fuck Henry Tudor" Kat practically spat his name, as if it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Fuck Henry Tudor" Anna muttered from her spot against the wall. Both other girls turned to face her, a vague hint of a smile on Kat's face. Jane sighed softly to herself.

"Fuck Henry Tudor" She said, after a moment of silence and for the first time in the last few hours, Kat smiled genuinely. And when Kat smiled, everyone smiled, so Jane and Anna ended up with small smiles on their faces too. Maybe things would be okay.

Cathy hated this feeling. Not only the nausea, but the feeling of doubt and dread that filled her too. Could she have prevented everything that happened is she hadn't insisted that Anne went on the double date with Henry? How hadn't she noticed how uncomfortable and tense Anne got whenever Henry was mentioned in conversation, let alone when he was physically there?

"Cath, come on. I can sense your thoughts getting to you, speak what's on your mind" Catalina said softly from her side. Cathy was grateful that the older girl had gone after her. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to cope alone right now. 

She moved back from the toilet, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before curling her knees to her chest and she leant against the stall wall. It was pretty cramped for the both of them, but neither complained. 

"I-I made her go on that double date with Henry, even though she really didn't want to. And then he threatened her and Jane didn't believe her and now we're here and it's my fault. If I'd have just listened and let it slide then we wouldn't be here and nothing bad would have happened" Cathy felt tears burning in her eyes, but blinked them away. Crying would solve nothing right now.

"Are you seriously blaming yourself for that pig and his actions? Mi amor, he's the only one to blame here. He's the one who tried to do an unspeakable act, he's the one who tried to cheat on his partner and he's the one who is going to pay the price in jail. It's not your fault for wanting to go on a double date with your friend, you didn't know anything about what he was planning or what he'd previously done. Don't blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault. Blame him for what he did. Beating yourself up over this won't do anyone any good. Right now, you just have to be there for Anne when she wakes up. We don't know what Henry used, so she might not even remember what happened, but you need to be there. She'll need you and Kat the most right now" Catalina's tone changed from angry as she spoke about Henry, to soft and gentle as she spoke about how Anne would need Cathy.

And, she was right of course. Anne would need the comfort of her girlfriend. She would need the people who could hold her close and tell her that things would be okay. She'd need Cathy to just hold her tightly and promise to never leave her. She'd need her friends, her family, to tell her that she was safe. 

"It makes sense that you took politics. You can convince people so bloody easily" Cathy murmured, a small smile on her face as she glanced at Catalina, who only shrugged in reply.

"Let's go see if the doctors have said anything" She said, standing up in the confined space and holding a hand out to help Cathy up. The younger girl took it, pulling herself up with ease before flushing the toilet and exiting the stall. Catalina offered her a mint, which she took as she made a comment about how Catalina always just had mints with her, no matter the occasion. 

There was a light knock on the door, which startled the three girls who had been relatively quiet over the last half hour. Anna opened the door, allowing whoever it was inside. Catalina entered the room and Cathy followed slightly behind her. Cathy's shoulder's sagged at the sight of her girlfriend and the wires that surrounded her. Anna closed the door behind the duo before leaning against the wall again. Catalina sat in a chair on the other side of the bed, glancing from Anne to Kat.

"What did the doctors say?" She noticed that there wasn't as much tension in the room as she expected. Maybe Jane and Kat had talked things out.

"He used Rohypnol in her drink, so she probably won't remember much of what happened and Maria told me that he's been arrested" Kat replied, a tired tone in her voice. Catalina glanced at the clock in the room, which told her that it was 1:25 in the morning, so the tired tone made sense. She knew that it'd be hopeless to try and convince Kat to sleep, however, because she'd refuse to sleep until Anne was awake. 

"What about you, Kat? Are you okay?" Cathy asked, sitting in the chair beside Catalina. Kat looked slightly surprised at the question, looking away from her cousin for a second and staring at Cathy.

"I'm... I'll be fine when I know that Anne's fine too" She replied hesitantly, her gaze moving back to her hand that was still joint with Anne's. 

"And, I'm sorry if I freaked you out earlier. About what happened at Edward Stanley's party. I didn't mean to, I was just so... I wasn't even really angry, I was just worried" She added, sighing softly.

"I understand. It's okay, really" Cathy gave a reassuring look, even though Kat wasn't looking at her. She looked towards her girlfriend again. It was weird seeing her so still and silent. She'd be back to normal in no time though, right?

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mi amor = My love
> 
> lolol, I'm not doing well with a schedule to update, am I?  
> I promise that I am gonna try and update this more frequently from now on, I just kinda don't know where to go from here...
> 
> lololol ugh

**Author's Note:**

> Oh no, I'm starting a fucking novel-


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